How to Quote a Landscaping Job

How To Quote A Landscaping Job

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You’ve got your landscaping business started and you’re ready to get out there and start landing jobs! But there’s just one thing holding you back. You’re still not sure how to quote a customer for a landscaping job. Here are some things to take a look at when quoting a landscaping job. 

To quote a landscaping job consider these five things:

  1. Cost of labor
  2. How much labor is needed
  3. Cost of materials
  4. The time it will take to complete the job
  5. Where your business is located.

Take into account these five things and it will make your life a lot easier when it comes to quoting a job for a landscaping client. Let’s take a look below at each one in closer depth, so you can utilize each tool to best help out your business.

Taking into account the cost of labor

Cost vs profit is a huge part of determining how much you should charge your clients, and labor is one of the biggest parts of your cost. So, take into account how many members of your team it will take to complete the job at hand, and how much their hourly wage is. You want to make enough on the project so you can comfortably pay your workers and have profit left to cover your other expenses – such as the cost of materials – as well.

It helps to take a look at the larger picture as well. How many jobs are you working on right now? How many members will you need for each? How many hours do each of your employees work per week, and how much will you have to pay each of them at the end of the pay period? Keeping in mind all of these factors will also help you determine how much profit you need to make off of each job you have to make ends meet. Remember, your workers rely on you, so you need to keep their best interests in mind when making business decisions. 

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How to determine how many workers are needed for the job

This will vary largely from job to job. It will depend on how large the scope of the project is and the timeframe you have to finish the job. Say a customer has a large project they need to have done, but need it finished in one week! This would not be a good time to hold back on your manpower. All hands-on deck if possible to get the job completed in as short an amount of time as possible. 

On the flip side, say a customer has a large project, but their timeline is a month. It may be the same scope as the first large project we looked at, but now you have considerably more time to get it done. You may not have to allot as many workers on the project and may be able to get by with half as many workers and still get the job done early. Whatever you do, just make sure the cost of labor does not outweigh the profit you will be making. 

Determining the amount of time you’ll need

Some say there is no greater gift than the gift of time. Your time is valuable and you need to charge accordingly. Don’t agree to take on a job in a shorter time than you can reasonably complete it, and likewise, do not agree to do a job for less than what your time is worth. For this one, there is no magic formula you can use to pop out a number. But as I said above, you need to take into account your workers’ hourly rate to determine what you can reasonably afford to charge your client, to pay them, and still have enough left over to cover your other costs and still make a profit.

Scope out the competition

How to Quote a Landscaping Job

Pablo Picasso used to say, “Good artists borrow, great artists, steal”. While I’m not encouraging you to steal your competition’s business plans, I do think it would help to scope out the competition to see how much your competitors are quoting their clients. Again, not so you can copy their prices, but so you have an idea of how to quote your clients competitively. That way you aren’t quoting prices way too high and constantly losing business to better-priced competitors. Nor are you quoting clients way too low and sinking your own business.

That being said, sometimes the $1 rule contestants use on The Price is Right works. If your competitors are quoting $60 an hour for mowing the lawn, and you know that you can charge them $55 an hour for the same job, who do you think your clients are going to choose? I for one will save on that extra five dollars every single time, thank you very much.

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Using Apps or programs to quote prices

These days, there’s an app for everything. There is always the option of using apps or pre-programmed tools to help you quote prices. Especially when you are new to the industry. Although these tools are very helpful and can be quick on the go, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned hard work and learning. Learning what goes into setting the prices for a client will make you look more credible when speaking with customers and probably more respectful. 

While it’s great to have technology to rely on, don’t take shortcuts and neglect to learn what goes into the process yourself. It will bite you in the butt if a client asks you why exactly you quoted them a certain price for a service.

Where your business is located

Lastly, and a very important factor, location. The state you are living in will also play a role in how much you quote your clients. Some states just have a higher demand for landscapers and clients pay higher price points for the jobs they need done. In some states, there may be a labor shortage but a high demand for jobs, these landscapers are going to have the largest opportunity to charge premium prices for their services. 

So, do a little research on what the opportunity looks like in your area when you quote your client. You need to be mindful of which states pay how much, as you don’t want to overcharge and lose out on business to your competitors with better prices, or undercharge and quote prices that you can’t afford to keep. 

How to use these tools in business

Like all things, quoting a job for a client comes with practice. The more often you do it, the more confidently you’ll be able to talk to your customers. Don’t hesitate to practice quoting friends or teammates just to get some practice out of it, and to have some more basic knowledge under your belt.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer that I can give you to churn out exact prices, but using the above information as guidelines can help determine those numbers pretty easily. Each business is unique, and many factors will affect exactly what prices you will be able to set. But, what I have given you is all of the guidelines on what factors to keep in mind when setting your prices. You will now need to use these all of these guidelines, to make decisions that will best suit your particular business. All the best!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same prices over and over once I set them?

You can if you’d like to, but it may not always be in your best interests to do so. Fluctuating your prices depending on how the economy and your competitors are fluctuating may be beneficial to you and help your business stay relevant. As I mentioned above, keeping tabs on what your competitors in the area are doing is a good idea and will help you determine if your prices are too low or too high for the current economic climate.

Should I use apps or programs to help me set prices, or do it the old-fashioned way?

You can certainly use apps or pre-programmed tools to help you quote prices. Especially when you are new to the industry. It helps to keep in mind though that your app on your phone does not know that your competitor down the road is lowering his prices, or that there is a new influx of opportunities that opened up in your area that may make you want to raise prices. Also, like I had mentioned above, it really will go a long way with your clients if they can see that you are knowledgeable in what you are talking about, versus just listing off numbers that your app threw out at you. In short, while apps and tools are great things to reference, there is no substitute for knowing how to do things yourself. 

To learn more on how you can start your own landscaping business, check out my startup documents here.

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